Ikariam is an online game similar to Civ or AOE. It is completely free (at least so far) and completely browser based.
I’ve been playing for a couple weeks, and the really cool thing is it’s slow pace. I can check it a couple times a day, and it doesn’t take up a lot of my time.
After playing some, here are some tips I have for some of the more advanced/strategy items. If you have any tips, email me or post a comment, and I will include it.
- Barracks One common strategy for players is to attack other players that have a 0 in their Generals score. When you build a new town, build a barracks and create some slingers so you get a general score and don’t get attacked as easy pickings.
- Transport You can transport goods to another city, but when you do so your ship just goes and drops them off. You can’t load their ship with goods in return. Means that all commerce takes twice as long – kind of silly.
- Trading Often people put goods out for sale at ridiculously low prices. Not sure why this is, but I have made quite a few game coins by buying at low prices and reselling at higher prices. For more, please read the review of stockpair
- Size Worlds in Ikariam are SERIOUSLY huge. If you are going to play with friends try to join up near the same time. I had a friend join, and her island is a day and a half away by ship. Kind of irritating.
- War For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem like the worlds are very warlike. Outside of some raiding on new towns there doesn’t seem to be a lot of fighting. Not quite sure how the whole battle thing works, you can siege and occupy a town. Not sure if there is any way of actually ‘owning’ that town, or if occupying it is essentially the same thing. Guess I should go attack someone and find out how it works.
Again, if you have comments, please leave them. Any tips on gameplay would be appreciated.